#uriah is an entitled asshole

[befuddled-calico-whump]

No One's Coming to Save You

for Angstpril, Day 21: You're on Your Own, Kid

cw: violence, beating, broken bones, death/murder mentions, adult language

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It was his own fault. Telling Uriah to make him useful, asking to be set loose on his other enemies. Unsurprisingly, someone with as much power as Uriah had plenty. Not all of whom needed to be eliminated, but enough to keep Lex busy.

It wasn't that bad. Sometimes he could even pretend it was like the old days. Just another contract, and when he completed it, he'd collect payment and go home. But every shift of his hands, every command Uriah's voice issued from the collar, reminded him of the truth.

Target of the day was someone Fox had been trying to take out for months; a travel agent who helped Redlined under the table. Someone who Lex would've held in high regard, if not for the fact that admiration made it harder to carry out a death sentence. There was nothing he could do but ensure a painless end; better than he'd get if he failed Uriah. What a shame Fiona Verne hadn't been able to hide forever.

He'd staked out the agency she worked at, learning quickly that she liked to stay late, and deciding he'd act after hours. Nothing subtle. He'd smash in windows, break some furniture. 

"But no fire," Uriah had instructed. "I don't want this to be tied to you in any way."

Verne was still at her desk, a single light shining over her, when the sun went down. No headlights in the distance, no record of heroes patrolling this corner of the city at this hour. Time to act.

Lex pulled his mask over his nose and made a dash for the front of the agency, punching through the window with little effort and climbing over the shards. An alarm blared from somewhere inside the building as he stalked towards Verne's desk, but it didn't matter. He'd be quick.

Verne had fallen out of her chair, and was staring up at him with an expression of disbelieving fear as he approached, trying fruitlessly to back away.

Quick and painless. He'd snap her neck, and it would be over, and he could go home and try to sleep.

He reached for her, dust from the window reflecting off his gloves like glitter, and she held up a hand as if to shield herself—

"Mom?" came a voice behind him, young and horrified. "Mom?"

Looking back was instinctive, even though Lex knew he shouldn't. There was a dark haired boy staring up at him through the screen of the monitor, eyes wide.

"Leave her alone!"

"It's oka—it's okay, Sean," Verne's voice came out shaky, and when he glanced back at her, there were tears trailing down her cheeks.

"I won't fight you," she said. "J-just don't hurt my son."

Fuck.

"What's taking so long?" Uriah's voice was in his ear. "There's a hero team inbound. Tick tock."

(Clock, dock, flock, hawk.)

"I'll take care of it," he muttered, but the kid was sobbing now, and Fiona's head was bowed, one hand clamped over her mouth as her shoulders shook.

He should shut off the computer, or just punch through the screen. He should drag her outside and break her neck. He should've never hesitated in the first place, he should—

"Stop where you are!"

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

"Oh Alexei, what did I tell you?" Uriah murmured, as Lex slowly turned to face the voice's owner.

It was a Hero team of four, masks and colorful costumes marking them as a more commercialized group. He couldn't remember their name—'Searchlight Squad' or something like that—but he knew they were all on Titanium's payroll. 

"Requesting extraction," Lex whispered. "I know these guys get a lot of publicity."

"Denied," Uriah replied. "You're correct. They have a reality television show. Since you can't kill a single, unpowered woman, try and get back to HQ without being unmasked."

Fiona was on her feet now, sprinting for the door. Lex began to back away from the team, looking for the best place to make his escape. Nothing obvious in the main office, but maybe they had a fire exit in the back…

"If you don't want me unmasked, maybe you should call off your crimefighters," he said, eyes never leaving the group.

Two of them had started to approach; a tall woman with a swirling pattern on her jumpsuit, and a muscular man wearing a huge grin. Lex took another slow step back, wracking his brain as he tried to recall what their powers were. The man clearly possessed super-strength, and he knew one of the team could talk to animals, but he doubted it was the woman.

"Mmm, I don't think so," Uriah said. "You see, you're just another villain right now. You have no significance, and more importantly, no ties to me."

"Unless I tell them."

"Is that a threat, Alexei?"

Lex grimaced. The pair hadn't lunged yet. As soon as he got to the back wall, he'd make a dash for the break room. There had to be another door, or at least a window.

"Disengage, and report back to Titanium," Uriah continued when he didn't respond. "Or don't, and let them drag you back to prison. No fire." And the comm went dead.

He knew he shouldn't have expected any less. He didn't know why it still hurt.

"Surrender now, and you'll be shown mercy," the woman in the jumpsuit shouted. The duo was closer now, twenty feet away.

Mercy. What a joke. The Tower thought it was merciful for letting him stay alive. Uriah thought he was merciful for making Lex his property.

He took another step, and his back hit the wall. Time to run. 

Lex surged forwards, grabbing a computer monitor and chucking it at the male, dodging the woman's attack—was that an air blast?—at the same time.

Of course, she had aerokinesis. Just like Overkast.

The man took the bait, punching the computer screen out of the air and halting long enough for Lex to reach the door at the back of the office.

But even as he pushed it open—

"Hold it right there!"

A gust of wind threw him backwards, temporarily stealing his breath with its force. Lex rolled as he hit the ground, looking for another opening. The other half of the team was posted outside, but given that neither had come charging in, it was safe to assume their powers weren't combat related. Maybe he could get past them.

He ran at the big man, dodging a punch and kicking off his stomach like a springboard, then tumbling away from another air blast and coming back to his feet in front of the shattered window.

Teams like this were built for flashy confrontation, but he was made for quick strikes and evasion. As he'd suspected, the pair outside looked more ready to flee than try and stop him, one of them diving aside as he leapt through the window, throwing up an arm to shield his face from the jagged glass.

He was a second too late to realize she wasn't dodging. She was getting a better angle. A shining purple net flew from her fingertips, wrapping around him, tangling around his legs and sending him crashing to the ground.

Lex tried to feel for the edge of the net and yank it off, but his metal fingers were made for function, not touch, and it was hopeless. He tried gripping it tightly and tearing it apart, but the thing didn't seem to be made out of regular rope.

Shit, shit, shit.

Uriah had said no fire, but maybe he could use it to get away, maybe—

A boot collided with his chest, knocking the wind out of him. He fought past the discomfort, rolling into his side, trying to regain his footing through the tangle of net—

Wham!

Another blow caught him across the face and he fell, spitting blood.

"Another one for the books," said a voice above him, the jumpsuit woman. The finality in her tone, the air of command, reminded him oddly of his mother. "Good work, Weaver. How 'bout you make us a pair of handcuffs?"

The edge of the net tickled Lex's nose, and he grabbed for it, holding on as he dodged another blow and stood, pulling the net off and turning to run.

He heard the air blast coming, but wasn't quick enough to dodge; it sent him airborne, and he hit the ground hard, landing in the alley across from the travel agency. He was on his feet again in an instant, but the team was already on him, blocking his path.

Dead end behind him, Heroes in front. Onwards and upwards.

He kicked off the wall, catching a blow to the ribs as he caught hold of a window ledge and hefted himself up, towards the roof.

"He's getting away! Crash—!"

"I got him."

Lex took off sprinting across the rooftop, trying to outrun the thudding footsteps behind him, making a beeline for the edge, preparing to jump—

—And being struck from behind, the wind knocked out of him as he was tackled to the ground.

The big guy was on top of him, aiming heavy blows at the side of his head. Lex got his arms under him and pushed up, managing to unbalance the man just enough to pull himself out from under, but the guy closed a hand around his ankle, dragging him back.

It was all he could do to flip himself over and get his arms up to protect his head before he was pinned again, the big guy raining frustrated punches down on him.

"You shoulda— stayed down— the first time—!"

A punch grazed Lex's jaw. Another caught him in the temple, spiking his vision with white, but the big guy didn't stop. 

Eventually, he felt the pressure let up from his chest. He squinted through the blood flowing from a cut on his forehead to see the other man standing up. Lex tried to roll over, tried to crawl away, but his movements were slow, and his efforts were rewarded with a flurry of kicks.

A knee pushed into his back, right between his shoulder blades, and he winced as the man grabbed a fistful of hair, jerked his head back, and slammed it into the concrete rooftop, sending an explosion of pain through his skull.

"Stay the fuck down," he said, and as he got up, footsteps moving away, Lex felt very, very tempted to obey. Even just lifting his head hurt. But he knew what was waiting for him if he didn't get moving.

The moment the big guy disappeared over the side of the building, Lex started to push himself up, trying not to let any audible winces escape as he struggled to his feet.

He couldn't wait, couldn't let himself take it easy. There was no time to lose. (Choose, bruise.) He tore off his mask, chucking it onto the next roof over and praying it would be enough to lead the team away, then moving to climb down into the alley below. Just as he was lowering himself, a hand reached up from the side opposite him.

Not seeing another option, Lex let himself drop, the sudden sensation of falling punctuated by the white hot crack of a bone. Fear and adrenaline taking over, he threw himself into a nearby dumpster and pulled the lid closed over him, clamping both hands over his mouth to try and muffle a whimper as the voice of the big guy, two stories above him, began to hurl curses at the sky.

He didn't know how long he lay there; ankle throbbing, the slightest shift of movement sending a ripple of pain through him, blood sticky on his face. He was sure he'd broken a few glass bottles when he'd jumped in, but was afraid to check himself for lacerations. It wasn't like counting his wounds would make them go away.

The world outside was pitch black when the comms finally crackled back to life.

"You've been in one spot for hours, Alexei. Tell me you're still alive."

Lex took a breath before answering, a hopeless effort to steady his voice. "S-still alive."

"Mm. I shouldn't have doubted your tenacity. I want you back at HQ by sunrise."

He hated himself for even asking, but Titanium was miles away, and he knew something in his leg had snapped when he'd hit the ground. "Is someone coming to collect me?"

"Transportation is only provided for successful missions, I'm afraid."

Lex clenched his jaw. Under any other circumstance, he'd find a way to bear it. But with a deadline that couldn't be more than a few hours away... "Please. I-I think I broke something. I don't know if I can make it back by dawn."

Uriah let out a low chuckle. "Then you'd better start walking."

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